Friday Roundup #1

Why SEO is still needed in the age of AI, and how to ensure your site is the one users find in the AI (Future of SEO):

AI won't kill SEO. Because AI needs content from which to gather its information. What you need to do is make sure your content is the ones that's used by the AI. How do you do that?

Stop thinking in terms of keywords, start focusing on INTENT. What is the problem the user is actually trying to solve? How would they pose that problem to Chat GPT? Now make sure your product description or blog directly addresses that. Go beyond surface-level optimization to address the "why" behind a search.

My take:

This is already happening. Look at this post:

So Marie had a very specific desire and asked Chat GPT to help her find the very specific solution. And since every IQ Bar product page talks about how the bars are low sugar and ultra clean, and there is no maltitol or sucralose in the ingredient list - IQ Bar got the sale.

​

How to disarm skeptical prospects (Jimmy Parent):

If a potential customer tells you, "I think that brand/that product is better", don't argue. What should you do instead? Say "I have no doubt." Here's why.

We humans love autonomy. We hate being told what to think. So if we're getting ready to argue a point, and the other person tells us, you're right - it suddenly removes the pressure and defensive barriers. And that is the BEST way to get someone to listen to you. Then you can go on to explain what's good about your product, without actively trying to convince them it's better than the competitor's.

​

The most important thing you need to do on every ecommerce product page (Rishi Rawat):

When you first land on a site to buy something, what's the first thing you notice? The price.

It's the same for customers coming to your site. The price might be written in font size 12, but to the shopper, it looks like it's in font size 27. Here's what to do about it: A - acknowledge the price with a statement like '$[X] isn't cheap. So why don't we charge less? Let me explain.' B - Explain your expertise - all the work, experimentation and testing that went into creating the product, the high quality components, etc. C - Us vs. them - why yours is the better choice, even though your competitor is cheaper.

​

If you're not yet ready to invest in Tell Your Story, but want a basic idea of how your brand should sound:

I've got just the thing for you. Justin Blackman launched a new free voice quiz to help you figure that out.

​

Two common form design techniques that are actually bad UI - even though everyone does it (Adam Silver):

• Multi-column forms - designers make them because they want to fill up whitespace and avoid scrolling. But the goal of a well designed form isn't to look nice or save space. It's to make things as easy as possible for the user. Multi column forms are prone to error, slower to use, and can cause abandonment. Putting each field on a line of its own gives users a clear path through the form.
• Placeholder text: Those faded text suggestion inputs in your form? Bad idea. Here's why -
  • They disappear when the user starts typing which makes them hard to remember (How many characters does the password need again?)
  • They may be mistaken for an answer so users submit prematurely, or they try to select the text to delete it (I know I've done this!)
  • They are low contrast to signify that it's a placeholder - which makes them hard to read.

Here's what do do instead: Simply put the instructions or sample input underneath the field label, like this:

​

Chasing short term profits can damage user loyalty. Here are three practical ways to avoid alienating customers while maximizing profits. (Nielson Norman Group)

• Avoid deceptive patterns - Ever used a car-rental website that hid fees to make prices appear more attractive? It might have gotten your purchase that first time, but you're not likely to use them again. Don't hide fees or shipping rates and don't sneakily sign them up for a subscription without clear consent.
• Have transparent price change policies - it's tempting to raise or lower prices based on market demand, competition, and other external factors. Some companies can do it - like Amazon, or airlines - because users have come to expect it there. But for a DTC product site? It's not a good idea. If you're going to need to raise prices, tell your customers in advance and explain why.
• Use upsells thoughtfully - don't bombard your customers with aggressive upsells when they're checking out. Have you ever checked out on Spirit airlines? They're a case study on what NOT to do. In order to go through with your ticket purchase at the original price, you have to actively opt out of purchasing seat choices, bags, cars, hotels, or any additional flight add-ons. You can, and should, use upsells. But be gentle about it - make it easy to scroll past if they aren't interested.

​

Two workshops you need to know about:

• ​AI for Creatives by Chava Shapiro: Imagine if you could ditch the most tedious parts of your business and focus on the work you love. In this live workshop, you’ll learn how to use AI to slash admin tasks, win clients faster, and actually work less while making more. It's marketed for creatives, but any brand or shop owner who does their own marketing can benefit as well.
• ​Secrets of the Work-Life Balance From a CEO and Mother of Six by Michal Eisik. She'll give you an insider, no-holds-barred look into her actual daily schedule — and share all the tricks that worked for her (and all the ones that didn’t).

​

Two new tools I came across:

• ​ReFunnel: Easily keep track of all UGC. Saves any post where you were tagged on Instagram and Tiktok.
• ​Depict: Make custom storefront collections (the kind the big brands use) without custom code. For fashion brands on Shopify.
  ​

The best way to find out what other people REALLY think (it’s surprisingly simple!) (John Bejakovic)

A mysterious trader, known only as Theo, bet $30 million of his own money that 1) Trump would win the election, that 2) he would win the popular vote, and that 3) he would sweep the "blue wall" of swing states. Against the predictions of all pollsters, all three things came to pass, and Theo collected $50 million as a payday. How did he know? Instead of looking at the polls that asked people "who are you going to vote for?", he looked at polls that asked, "Who do you think your neighbor is going to vote for?"
​How this can help you before launching a new product: Instead of asking people if they would buy it - ask them, do you think other people would buy this? Do you see people around you wanting such a product?
​

And just a good line I saw from Dan Nelken: Great headlines aren't great sentences, they are great ideas expressed in words. Like with all marketing, the idea or story comes first - the tactics come next.

​

I'll be back in your inbox on Monday,

Chavy

‍